House of the Week 12/17/21
Wake Up Crew Highlights: December 16, 2021
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Can”Hair Of The Dog” Actually Work?
Ever been tempted to pour some bourbon into your coffee, or a little vodka into your O.J., the morning after an alcohol-fueled night out? Basically, combating your hangover with more alcohol, better known as “hair of the dog”? Why do we call it that? And does it really work?
The full phrase, “the hair of the dog that bit you”, developed back in the dark ages when folks believed that, to heal yourself after being bitten by a rabid dog, you should drink a special potion containing some hair from the rabid dog that bit you. (Spoiler alert: it did not then, nor does it now.)
While no one’s quite sure how it ended up as a euphemism for “curing a hangover by drinking more of the alcohol that made you hungover in the first place”, the question we really want to know is: does it work? Sadly, there isn’t a lot of scientific evidence to support the fighting booze with booze theory. The basic principle is that, since symptoms of a hangover come on once your body’s processed the alcohol, you can ward off those symptoms by simply giving your body more alcohol to process. The problem with that, however, is that you can’t keep drinking forever. And when you do eventually stop drinking, and your blood alcohol level returns to zero, that hangover is gonna show back up (and with an even harsher vengeance). “Hair of the dog” can forestall the window of time until you experience a hangover, but it can’t prevent it entirely. And because you’re just adding more booze to your already-shot system, your hangover will most likely be even worse when it eventually does take hold.
The only 100% proven way to cure a hangover…is to not get one in the first place. (Exhibit A: me! The last time I had a hangover was the last time I drank alcohol. And I haven’t missed either the liquor or the lousy hangovers.) But, if the pleasure of the drink is worth the pain of the withdrawal, then Cheers to you, my friend!
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Do 18-Wheelers Have Spiked Wheels?
Driving next to an 18-wheeler can be a bit of a nail-biter. Especially when you see some of the truck’s wheels covered in metal spikes. What are those spikes even there for?
They may look menacing, but they’re actually not there to terrify you. The main purpose of wheel spikes is to simply cover the wheel’s lug nuts. Given how many miles 18-wheelers regularly travel, it’s no wonder that semi lug nuts suffer more wear & tear than those of other vehicles. Those spikes shield the 18-wheeler’s lug nuts from dirt & keep them dry from precipitation, which keeps them from rusting & helps prevent them from loosening. Those spike covers are usually sturdy enough to do the job, but they aren’t always as indestructible as they appear. A good many are made out of plastic manufactured to look like chrome.
But why do so many truck drivers seem to opt for pointed covers, as opposed to flat ones? Well, it’s likely more a style choice than anything else. Because when you’re cruising the highways in your truck for dozens of hours a week, you might be inclined to trick it out a little, just like an office employee might do with their office cubicle.
And, if the flashy spikes catch your eye & remind you to keep some distance between your vehicle & the 18-wheeler, that’s not a bad thing. Truck drivers have pretty substantial blind spots along the sides their trucks (as well as the front and back), so accidents are more likely to take place when an approaching car strays into one of these so-called “no-zones.” So, from that perspective, the spikes might not just be protecting the lug nuts. They could also be saving you, the truck driver, and everyone else on the road.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning
Wake Up Crew Highlights: December 14, 2021
This is Sweet Pea!!! Our Jay Day and The Day Home Team Pet of the Week
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Is Coffee Called “A Cup Of Joe”?
The word “coffee” comes from the Turkish word kahveh, which entered into the European vernacular around 1600. Coffee beans first were first imported into Italy from North Africa & the Middle East in 1615, then into France in 1644 where the Turkish ambassador to France helped make coffee the “it” beverage in the court of Louis XIV. The European aristocracy became enthralled by the deliciously dark, hot beverage, and the rest is history. Back then, the word coffee showed up in a lot of different forms: chaona, cahve, kauhi, cahu, coffa, and caffa. Eventually, all those settled down into the word “coffee” that we know today, though most every society has its own affectionate nickname for the beverage. One of the most common ways we’ve referred to coffee here in the US over the past hundred years or so has been to call it a “cup of joe.” But why is that?
The real answer: we’re not really sure. There are some theories, however. One of those theories is that it was named after former Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels. The theory goes that, in 1914, Daniels had banned alcohol from being served on Navy ships, making coffee the strongest drink that would’ve been allowed onboard. So, sailors began calling coffee “Joe” to spite Secretary Josephus. The problem with that theory, though, is that most alcohol had already been banned on Navy ships 50 years earlier. So, Josephus’s ban wouldn’t have had much effect on the…well…the average Joe.
The most likely reason a “cup of joe” means a cup of coffee is that joe is a shortened form of “jamoke”, which is a combination of the words java & mocha, which were two early points of origin for coffee bean imports. Folks would call coffee “Mocha Java” to denote where it came from, then combined them into the word “jamoke”, which was then shortened to plain old “joe”. Whatever you call it, though, go ahead & pour yourself another cup of that black liquid gold…you’ve earned it!
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning